antiX-forum

Yes you should be able to install from the usb stick.

If you want to 'save' settings you could create a small partition on the stick for files. Put the changes you make on that file and then the next time you use the stick, you simply have to transfer your personal settings to the running antiX.
At least this saves time in reconfiguring every time.

I just tried to make a version optimized for use with 512Mb thumb drives and stumbled with an issue related to fat32 vs fat16 and the original file system size limits for fat type file systems being strictly adhered to by the unix type cli partitioners. If anybody knows how to overcome this, please let me know, in the meantime, it looks like 1Gb flash drives will have to be the minimum by default for the time being.

At least this gives a larger data partition, and the drives are filthy cheap.

I may still have a little trick up my sleeve that I will try with an old 512Mb stick I found lying around at work.

Mike P

when i first tried the script the usb was on fat16. after the script was done the partition wasen't recognized at all. after an format to fat32 and running the script again it works. the partition is still fat32 shouldn't be a ext2 or ext3 ?

i have a thinkpad r61i laptop

I've come across that unrecognizable partition before too and I can force it to happen. It usually happens if the flash drive has an alternate first sector or a partitioning scheme laid down by the manufacturer with their tools on the drive.

Usually running (changing x to your flash drives location)
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdx bs=512 count=1
to completely blank the first 512 bytes of the drive, removing it, replugging it, then using gparted to make a single fat32 partition, then unplugging and re-plugging followed by re-running the script is sufficient to clear the issue.

The finished drive should be fat32.

Mike P

Hello Mike

I tried your script. And installed the Antix-7.5 iso on the stick.

On my eeePC 701 4G, the stick boots, Antix starts, but I have no touchpad, no mouse working (both work from an external CD as liveCD, and on a SD card as full HD install)

On a recent Lenovo thinkpad T61, the stick boots, by I fall to the command line: X does not start. Rather strange, since everything is OK when I boot from the CDrom with the same antix ISO on this laptop.

Mike:
What changes did you make in your image, apart from partitioning and editing the grub menu?

Before using your method, I tried the Mepis System Assistant (from my Mepis8 -beta 5 install) to make a bootable Mepis key from the Antix iso, but when booting from the key, I had the cdrom not found problem in /dev/hdxx...

I am downloading now antix-M8-base1, and will experiment with this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update:

I have now antix-M8-base1 besides antiX-7.5. M8-base1 works on the eeepc. I have to get a try on the laptop.
Now i am going to enlarge the partition, and copy antiX-M8-test2.iso on the stick.

Last news:
I have now on my 2 GB stick a 1024 MB partition (98 % full) containing:

boot
boot.catalog
cdrom.ico
version
antiX-M7.5.iso
antiX-M8-base1.iso
antiX-M8-test2.iso

edited menu.lst to boot either of the isos
did minstall from the stick to a 8 GB usb stick
wifi works (atheros chipset) from the live iso (M8) and from the USB "hard disk" install

sidux has a great script install-usb-gui.bash : it uses a gtk2+glade gui, and calls a bash shell to format the stick and install the iso.
I would like to write a light version of this script...

lagopus wrote:
sidux has a great script install-usb-gui.bash : it uses a gtk2+glade gui, and calls a bash shell to format the stick and install the iso.
I would like to write a light version of this script...

If you do manage to write a light version, I'd be delighted to use it in antiX.

I have been trying to get antix to work on my eeepc 701. I loaded it up on my thumbdrive with no problem. It boots fine off of my larger laptop(with cdrom drive), but it does not boot on eeepc. It looks for cdroms for a while then gives the message

Can't find MEPIS filesystem, sorry.
Dropping you to a (very limited) shell.
Press reset button to quit.

/static/ash: can't access tty; job control turned off

I have looked around for a solution and have had no luck.

Hi

Did you try the steps here?

how-to-install-antix-7-5-on-eeepc-701-4g-t1147.html?hilit=eeepc#p7132

That message means it can't find the place to boot from, so try sdxx or hdxx

Welcome hlynch1

Let me know if you succeeded in installing antiX on your eeepc, following the link anti gave you.


antiX-M8-public-test1.iso works for me, perfect for my device.

http://antix.freeforums.org/antix-m8-public-test1-iso-available-t1299.html?hilit=public%20test1

hi!

same problem as hlynch1 here.

could it be the ext4 filesystem, as ubuntu 9.04 is installed on my netbook?

don't know what to do, i really want antix running...

Hi, sorry to revive an old topic, is it still active?
Same problem as above,
/static/ash: can't access tty; job control turned off
while booting from CD on a 4 year old machine... antiX m8.1 works perfectly. After 3 cd's burned (from Garr italian mirror) I am left with no clues.
When the mepis "limited shell" appears, I try to ls, cd etc... in fact the reply is "cannot cd to /ash", then I find myself in /ash, then I cannot open subdirectories etc.
It very strange... how do you say, "uncanny"?

if the problem has been solved, could you please tell me where?

With *very* best wishes, antiX rocks!
Valerio

The new version of antiX has a script to install it to a thumbdrive.
See: antix-base-and-antix-full-available-for-testing-t2000.html